A Mother's Love
by awsomeangel200
Summary: AU. Antheia is a young witch who feared humanity and was mistreated throughout her life. One night, she finds an abandoned baby Crona and takes him in as her child. She vowed to shun him from the cruel world in order to protect him. What will become of Crona as he's being raised by the Nature Witch?
1. Abandoned

**A/N: To start things off, let me explain a few things. I've loved Crona as a character, and I felt so bad for what he went through as a child. He didn't deserve to be treated to like crap. Of course I blamed that snake bitch, Medusa! I hope she burns in hell! So to show my love for him, I decided to make an AU where he has a protective and kind-hearted mother. And in future chapters of the story will be seen through Crona's point of view. He'll still be in character though.**

 **Now I know what you might be thinking "A character can only be gloomy and emo if they are abused as children." No, all the time. Some people can get nervous and shy with others around them if they're not used to being social. It's called 'social anxiety'. Crona wasn't used to being with people, so he isolated himself from the world. I think if he had a overprotective mother who shuns him from the outside world, he would still have the same expression.**

 **Keep in mind that because this is a AU, things will whole be lot different. Like how Crona will join the DWMA, and so on. And this is also my first AU fanfic, so please cut me some slack. The purpose for making this to see how it would be like if Crona had a caring mother.**

 **If this story gets enough love and feedback then I will continue on it. So anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **Abandoned**

A young woman who appeared to be in her early 20s was running through the cold darkish streets as Death City. She continued to scurry as fast as her legs could carry her to. Her long pink hair flew behind her as if the wind was picking up. It was very dangerous for a witch to be out in the open at night.

She was highly aware of the academy's student roaming around in search of a witch's soul. Their presence weren't far from here, and if they were to use their Soul Projection to scan for her soul, she would be nowhere near safe.

Her heart was pounding insanely fast with fear. Sweat began to pour from her forehead, while she continued to find a safe place to hide. Fortunately, she manage to find an dark alleyway between two buildings. She hid herself behind a trash can hoping that she no one would bother to find her. Even though, it wasn't personal that the students were hunting for a witch soul. They were just doing their jobs as warriors for the DWMA, also known as Death Weapon Meister Academy. A place where students train under the Grim Reaper, Lord Death. He sent children to do his bidding, which was to collect 99 kishin souls and a witch soul to create a new Death Scythe for him.

Still, she refuse to be the last witch soul of someone's '100th soul quest' or whatever it was. But she could care less, about some petty child's school project. Her goal was to get out of this filthy area, and return home to continue making a potion a that could shield her soul. Being a witch meant being haunted by humans who looked down on a witch. Why? She had no idea. She would never do anything to hurt anyone. She never understood why witches were seen as dangerous beings. Was it because of how they were portrayed in fairy tale books as the bad guys?

The memories of her childhood were too traumatizing, even if they were just memories, she was still able to picture them vividly in her mind as if it was only yesterday. Being tied up by hard iron chains, and brutally torture by whips. Tears began to fill up her sky blue eyes, she held her knees against chest and cried softly so no one could hear her. All she wanted was to live peacefully with humans and not be seen as a threat.

But that was unlikely to happen. The grand witch Mabaa had told her that as long as Lord Death continues to make Death Scythes, no witch is ever safe. She had to keep herself hidden at all times. Whenever she had to go outside to buy some escentials, she always wore a brown hooded cloak to hide her presence from humans. She normally would do it during the day where the students weren't hunting. Unfortunately, she was in such a rush this evening that she completely forgot to bring her cloak with her. At least her gorgeous looks were enough to deceive the civilians. But that doesn't mean it would stayed that way.

She just wish there was someone out there, that would at least give her one chance in life to see her true self. Someone. Anyone.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming towards her direction. Her body began to quivered as if she was cold from hypothermia. Was it a student that followed her tracks? No, not like this. She couldn't afford to die like this. As much she didn't wanted lose her soul, she had to risk it. She needed to check just to be on the safe side. Maybe just a small peak wouldn't hurt. If it is a student, she'll just have to try to make up some conviction story. Like 'you were mistaken me for someone else.' Yeah, that should work. She wasn't the only in witch in town after all.

She lean forward a few inches so she was to see. That figure wasn't what she was expected, but at the same time she was relieve that it wasn't a child. But instead it was...a witch. This witch had golden yellow hair that was partly braided around her neck. She wore a black hooded jumpsuit, and was barefooted. She seem to have snake tattoos on her her arms, and her nails were painted black to go with her jumpsuit.

" _Medusa?"_ the pink-haired woman thought to herself.

She was one of the snake witch, Medusa Gorgon, younger sister of Arachne Gorgon the spider witch. She seem to be carrying a box of some sort. The young witch squinted her eyes to get a better view. There appeared to be a blanket over it. What could possibly be in there to be in need of a blanket? Medusa placed the box down on the ground, right by the trash can.

"I should have never wasted my experiments on you," she spoke to the box in such a cruel tone. "You weren't even worth my time. Why did I bother bringing you into this world?" The young woman was dumbfounded while at the same time shocked at what Medusa was saying. She heard rumors that she was a heartless woman who enjoy causing destruction for her own amusement. She was indeed evil.

"You are worthless to me," The snake witch said with a emotionless expression on her face. "I could end you right here, but I'm not gonna waste my magic on you. I'll just let the rats seal your fate."

With that, Medusa turned her back on the box. "Goodbye, Crona."

Those were her final words before she walked away. Crona? Who was she talking about?.

The young witch got up and walked to the box that Medusa left behind. Her eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. It wasn't a puppy, or some guinea pig like she thought. It was a baby! She removed the blankets from the face to get a better look at it. The young child, has purple hair and a bit of tan skin. She taped it's cheeks gently to wake it up. The baby open its big eyes that were dark purple. This infant was absolutely adorable, but since this was Medusa's child, that mean that this infant was also a witch.

A witch like just her. The baby's eyes met in contact with hers for a moment. She felt a warmth feeling in her heart, like she was having a bond with it. Could that be it? Is this how humans feel when they have children? It was such a sensational feeling.

The baby started to feel frightened by its surroundings and started to cry.

"Wuaaahhh!"

"Shh, there there." The young woman calmed the small child as she rocked it back and forth. "It's alright, everything's gonna alright."

This child was too pure for a world like this. How could Medusa disowned her own child like that? That woman was heartless no doubt. She's the reason why witches have a bad reputation to the humans. That snake witch will pay one day. But for now, her focus was on the child.

After rocking the baby while humming it a lullaby, it started to calm down once it heard her voice. It was soothing like a dream. The baby giggled with delight and reached out for the young woman's face. She began to cry tears of joys when they made physical contact. It was truly a strong feeling.

She knew from this day forward, she will protect this child from the dangers of the outside world. She couldn't stand this innocent being going through the same tragedy that she went through. She'll give it all the love and care it deserves. There's no way she was gonna allowed the precious bundle of joy to be misunderstood by petty humans.

She gave the small bundle a kiss on the forehead. "Don't worry Crona, I won't leave you to die. I'm Antheia the nature witch. And I'm gonna be your new mother."

Antheia hold the child close to her chest and exit the alleyway.

"I promise to protect you from this cruel world, no matter what."

* * *

 **Wow, did this took a lot out of me!**

 **Yeah, I decided to have Crona's mother be an original character. I know that some people would've like Marie to be his mother, but I thought otherwise. I wanted it to be someone totally different. And since it's gonna start with someone new, this story will also focus on Anthea and her struggles as a witch. I plan to give a backstory as to why she fears humanity. Her name is also based off of a Greek Goddess, Antheia the Goddess of Flowers and Plants. I figured that would be the perfect name for sweet and loving character.**

 **So please like and review if you enjoyed it.**


	2. Parenting

**A/N: I appreciated the feedback I got on the first chapter, so I continued to work the second chapter. I wanted to make it as heartwarming as possible, so I put a lot of though into it. You could considered this as a fluff. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Parenting**

"Wuaahh!"

It was 3:30 in the morning. Antheia was awoken by the loud crying that was coming from the nursery. She got up from her bed, and threw off the blankets from her legs.

"Dear Lord Death," she muttered to herself.

She entered the nursery and turned up the light to brighten the room. The young witch saw Crona standing up one his crib. Or her crib? She still couldn't tell whether Crona was a boy or girl. Even his private area was hard to make out. But, it didn't really matter to her. She loved him either way.

"What's the matter my little pumpkin?" she asked as she carried Crona off the crib.

Crona whimpers turn to hiccups when he heard his mother's voice. Antheia rest his head on her shoulder, as she brushed his purple locks with her fingers.

"Are you hungry?" she asked the little 8-month-old. Crona continued to weep as Antheia took him to the kitchen. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

She placed Crona in the highchair, and went over to the fridge to get a bottle of formula milk. She manage to buy 3 containers of formula yesterday. Despite being only 8 months, he couldn't get enough of a the warm milk. Of course, she couldn't give him too much otherwise he would spit up.

Antheia grab his bottle and put in the hot boiling pot to warm it up, she lowered the temperature to make sure it wasn't too hot. After a few minutes she took the bottle out of the pot with the pincer, and pointed it upside down to her wrist to check how hot the milk was. It was warm enough.

Crona saw the bottle and reached out for it with his little hands. It was so cute the way he would beg for his milk. Antheia giggled at the site.

"Here you go, sweetheart!" Antheia said as she gave Crona the small bottle.

The purple-hair infant grabbed his bottle and started drinking it really fast.

"Careful Crona," Antheia said with concern. "If you drink too much of it, you'll spit it back up!"

Crona continued to drink his milk without listening to his mother's words. He was only a baby, so he still didn't have a sense of awareness.

It's been 8 months since Anthiea took Crona in after being abandoned by Medusa. She still despise her for what she did back in the alley. She mention something about 'wasting experiments on him', but what did she experimented? She feared that Medusa implanted a dangerous substance within the infant. But 8 months have passed, and nothing out of the ordinary has happen with Crona. Hopefully, it's nothing too serious. He's been acting much like a normal child. He cries when he's hungry, does his wee-wees and whoopsies on a daily basis, and he giggles when he's happy.

If she did implanted something within him, then Antheia will have to come up with an antidote. She was still in the middle of whipping up a potion that could prevent others from looking into her soul. It was the only way to shield her witch identity from humans. Once she was finish, she'll start working on an antidote for Crona.

She look back at Crona who was finished his bottle. The pink-haired woman lifted her little bundle of joy, and patted his back until he let out a burp.

"Boy, you were hungry weren't you?" she said playfully as Crona giggled.

Being a parent was a big responsibility, but she loved taking care of Crona. For the first time in her life, she found someone who will see her for who she really is. And she didn't have to be alone anymore, now that she had this child to accompany her.

Though she had no idea how this parenting thing works, but she manage to buy a parenting guide book that taught her the basics of mothering a child. She wanted to become the best mother to Crona. He deserves a good mother. Not like his unfit mother Medusa. Just imagine what could've happened if he was still in her care.

Judging by her actions, Medusa would've mistreated the poor child. She obviously doesn't love him. How could you bring a child into this world and treat it like it's nothing. That wretched snake witch should never have children. If you're not gonna take care of a child, then don't be having babies! It's as simple as that!

Why couldn't she use a rat or a pig to test her experiments on, instead of a innocent baby who done nothing to deserve it. Crona would have gone through the same abuse she went through long ago. She knew how it felt like to be mistreated by your own blood. Her parents never cared for her either.

Maybe that was what brought her and Crona together. Faith between two individuals who were never treated with respect by their birth parents. It made Antheia wonder if she was meant to be Crona's mother, even if they didn't share the same blood. Of course blood isn't what creates a family, it's love.

Antheia truly loved Crona with all her heart. She's do anything for this child. She'd even throw her life out for him, that's how much he meant to her.

The young witch decided to take Crona to her bedroom. She figured he'd didn't wanna sleep in the dark all by himself. She's still hadn't got him a nightlight yet. The poor baby might have a fear for darkness when he's gets older. Of course, she was to blame. Antheia was starting to feel remorseful now.

"Do you want to sleep with mama tonight?" Antheia asked the small purple-haired infant.

Crona just giggled while waving his little arms. She took that as a 'yes'.

Antheia placed Crona on the Queen size bed as she sat down next him.

"Crona," Antheia spoke her to baby. "Can you say 'mama'?"

Crona tilted his head in confusion, he still didn't know how to pronounce words yet. Antheia tried to get him to say 'mama' the past 8 months, but no luck came. He was still mumbling gibberish as always.

"Still not much of a talker are you?" the nature witch said in disbelief.

Antheia pulled the covers over her and Crona. The two them were snuggled close together, as she pulled her child closer to her chest. They say that physical contact between a mother and a child, is what makes them the bond grew stronger as the child grows. The warmth of his body, felt like bliss to her. Being a mother was the best thing that ever happen to her. What did she do to deserve such a beautiful gift? If it was really faith that brought them together, then she was truly grateful.

Antheia turn off the light in her room, and hold Crona in her arms.

"Goodnight Crona." she said before shutting eyes.

But before she could fall asleep, she heard sometime that was never heard before.

"Mama…"

* * *

 **Are you puking rainbows yet? I know I am. Also, I think my heart just melted.**

 **Let me know what you think about tender scene.**


	3. Bonding

**I appreciate all the feedback I'm getting from this story, I'd never thought it would get so much love already! This chapter should be as heartwarming is the previous ones. This one will focus on Antheia and Crona making dinner together, you know just your average mother and child bonding moment.**

 **I'm still making plans on how the story will take on, so please be patient as it might take a while for the next chapter to be published.**

 **Now on with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Bonding**

The kitchen was filled with all the indigents to make dinner. Everything including the pots, pans, and every other kitchen utensils that were needed for cooking. Antheia grabbed her apron and wrapped it around her waist. She took out the main indientgent to make her dish, a big round pumpkin from the fridge.

Good thing she went to do groceries early the morning when everyone was asleep. A witch must never be in a crowded area specifically around humans. Especially when the DWMA students are in presence.

It's been 4 years since Antheia became a mother. And it's been such a wondrous journey, Crona was getting bigger, he was now able to walk and talk. He even knew how to spell his own name. Of course, she's been homeschooling him once he turned 3. Boy, was he a fast-learner.

Speaking of which, she wondered where the the little rascal was hiding.

"Crona~" Antheia sung. "Wanna help mama with dinner? I'm making your favorite, pumpkin soup!"

No word. It's almost as if the house was empty. But the nature witch knew what was really going on.

"Oh I see," she said with smirk. "Playing hide 'n seek are we? Okay, ready or not here I come!~"

Antheia check around the living room, but there was no sign. She check in Crona's room that had gothic lolita style theme to it, everything was black including the dresser, the little tea set table where his little bunny was sitting, and even the bed. She wasn't too fond of Crona having a room filled with black decors. But while shopping for furniture, he gain a liking to the antics that were in black color.

If it was what he liked, then that's all that matters. Even if it was unpleasant to her, all she cared about was Crona's happiness.

She continued to search for the small child, and went to the laundry room where she washed clothes. There she found a big pile of clothes in the basket that weren't there before.

Now she's got him.

"Hmmm, I wonder where Crona could be," Antheia played dumb while putting her hand on her chin. "Is he hiding in the washing machine? Or in the the closet? Or maybe…"

The pink-haired woman walked up to the basket of clothes and reach out for the white sheets until…

"Boo!"

Antheia let out a shriek and lost her balance as she fell back on her bottom. What spook her was a jumpscare that caught her off guard. There before her stood a small child who wore a short black dress, and a pair of black shoes. He made a goofy face with his hands, by stretching his mouth into a wide grin revealing his teeth.

"Gotcha Mama!" the child said as he sneakered.

Antheia placed hand on her heart in relief, or more likely in a near heart attack experience. He must of plan this from the start. He knew she would find him in the pile of clothes when she was gonna check the laundry room.

"Crona, you nearly gave mama a heart attack," Antheia said as she got up from the floor. "You really shouldn't scare her out of nowhere like that."

Crona's expression change from cheerful to disappointment, as he was beginning to feel remorse for what he did.

"I'm sorry mama," Crona said in shame. Antheia took notice that her son/daughter was about hit his gloomy state.

"Oh, it's okay dear," the young witch patted Crona's head. "There's no need to fret over it. You just need to be careful next time okay?"

"Okay." Crona came more at ease when he felt his mother gentle touch.

"Now, why don't we start making dinner? Today we're gonna have pumpkin soup, your favorite!"

"Yay!" Crona cheered while throwing his hands in the air. Antheia giggled once again, seeing her child smile made her smile too.

"C'mon then, let's get started,"

Antheia took Crona to the kitchen so they could prepared dinner. She chopped the pumpkin into pieces while Crona was mixing in the cream and milk. While mincing the pumpkin she was humming to herself a sweet song that she used to hum to Crona when he was a baby. She still remember that night that he said his first word.

'Mama.'

That was the first thing that came from his mouth. She saw from the corner of her eye Crona mixing the bowl with a smile on his face. It warmed her heart that he was enjoying it, there's was nothing that he love more than helping his mother make dinner. That's why whenever she had to cook, she would let Crona help out, so they can have time to bond.

However, she notice that there was something wrong with him. There were times where he would act gloomy all of a sudden. She realised that he wasn't an ordinary child, one day when they were walking home, Crona tripped and scraped his knee. When it started to bleed, the blood wasn't red but instead...black. This must of been part of Medusa's experiment. She still had no idea what the effects of the black blood contained, but whatever the case was this made her more determined to create a antidote for him as soon as possible.

She decided to shook off those horrid thoughts and continue with making dinner. Everything was going fine for awhile. That was until she saw something sprouting out of Crona's back.

"Stupid Crona! That's not how you mix it!"

What spoke to Crona was a small puppet-like being that apparently had no mouth. It obviously was Crona's blood but as a separate entity. The puppet preferred to be called Ragnarok. Even though it was part of Crona, it wasn't very nice to him. It would tease him for no reason whatsoever, of course Antheia would never allow bullying in her house.

"Ragnarok," Antheia said in frustration. "That's no way for you to talk to Crona! The way he's mixing is just fine!"

"Oh I'm sorry pinky," Ragnarok said in a cheeky tone. "If that's so, then I'll give him a pulley everytime he screws up."

The little puppet grab Crona's pink locks and began to pull on them, causing Crona to shriek in pain. That's it! Antheia in rage grab the nearest cooking pan from the counter and whack Ragnarok in the back of the head.

"That's enough Ragnarok," Antheia yelled. "Leave Crona alone!"

Ragnarok rubbed the sore spot on his head where his bump was.

"Geez," Ragnarok said in agony. "Can't you take a joke for once lady?"

The small puppet dissolve back into Crona's back, not wanting to deal with another smack over the head. It wasn't the first time he got hit with Antheia's frying pan. Next thing you know he'll suffer from massive brain damage. If he had one that is.

"Baby, are you okay?" Antheia asked rubbing her child's head.

"Y-Yeah," Crona stuttered. "I-I'm okay m-mama."

Antheia felt Crona quivered in fear as if he was cold. It was clear that Ragnorok was a bad influence on Crona, he was the manifestation of the black blood that Medusa injected in him. That could be why he bullies him, since the black blood is supposed to be a substance of pure madness.

But it's okay, she'll make sure to cure Crona from it once and for all. She will make Crona normal one day. She swore it.

Antheia notice that Crona was still trembling with tears in his eyes and snot dripping from his nose. He was still broken from Ragnarok's bullying. She bend over and kissed him on the center of his forehead. With that, the small child started to calm down and felt all his troubles melt away. He stopped trembling and became more relaxed than before.

The nature witch used her thumb to wipe the tears off her child's face. A smile formed on Crona's face.

"Do you feel better sweetheart?" Antheia asked sweetly.

"Y-Yes mama," Crona mumble a bit. "But what d-did y-you do?"

"I used a spell called 'Mother Nature's Kiss'," the young woman explain. "It allows whoever I kiss to feel calm, by erasing all the negatives in their minds and replacing them with positive things. So whenever you feel scared, mama will make all those bad thoughts disappear with one single kiss."

Antheia tap Crona's little nose in a motherly way. Crona started to get a warm fuzzy feeling inside. So this was his mother's power. She can not only manipulate nature, but also heal a person mentally. It was such an incredible power.

"Now let's finish preparing dinner shall we?" Antheia said as she continue to mince the pumpkins.

Crona nodded and went back to mixing the milk and cream.

After an hour of boiling, the soup was finally done. Antheia had Crona set the table as she served him and herself. The two of them sat down and prepared to eat. While they were enjoying their meal together, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Antheia got up from her seat, but not before looking back at Crona.

"Finish your food Crona, okay?" Antheia said to the purple haired child who was slurping on his soup-filled spoon.

Crona nodded as a response. The nature witch left her child for a quick second to see who was at the door. It was unusual for her to get visitors here. It would be foolish for a human to enter the vicinity of a witch. So why is someone even by her door in the first place?

She was hesitate to even touch the doorknob, knowing that it's possible that it could be a student from the academy who's planning to surprise attack her to take her soul. Her hand was trembling with fear, she felt the sweat tickling from her forehead as she was very nervous.

She crossed her fingers hoping that she was wrong before opening the door. She turned the knob and open the door slowly to make out who was at her front porch. She felt her heartbeat slow down in relief as the figure that stood before her was actually a familiar face.

"Ms. Mabaa?"


	4. Discussion

**A/N: Hey everyone, I'm sorry it took so long to release a new chapter. I had to do a lot packing for the move. But I'm finally at my new place which mean I can continue the story. Also during the last months I have been working the the new couple of chapters just so you know, so at I got some work done during my hiatus. And to make up for the long wait I'll upload the next chapter in the next few days, it almost finish so I hope you guys can look forward to it. Now enough of me babbling and on with the story! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Discussion**

Antheia welcomed Mabaa the Grand Witch in her home, and gestured her to the living room as the two witches sat on the huge green couch patterned with flower decor.

"It's good to see you again Antheia," said the Grand Witch.

"Same to you m'ame," Antheia said with a bright smile. "It's been years since we've last seen each other."

"Indeed it has been." Mabba nodded.

She took the time to notice the surroundings in the Nature Witch's house, there were vases filled with beautiful flowers of all kinds. The aroma from the plants smelled quite nice, it was obvious that all of these flowers were natural. Not like the ugly fake ones that the humans buy for decoration.

"I see you still have your love for flowers," Mabaa addressed. "Even as an adult you're still the sweet old flower child."

"Well they don't call me the Nature Witch for nothing, right?" Antheia said while flipping a piece of her front hair aside.

Mabaa begin to chuckled lightly at Antheia's statement. Yep, she hasn't changed at all. She remembered the first time she met her as a child. She had a likeness towards nature of all kind. Flowers, trees, bushes, etc. She truly was dedicated to the earth.

Mabaa face turned from happy to a more sincere expression.

"There's something that needs to be discussed Antheia," Mabaa said sternly. "You realise that's the reason I came all this way."

Antheia lowered her head in defeat. "Yes, that's right."

"As you may be aware, Lord Death has made four more death scythes to this day," Mabaa informed. "A couple of witches have already lost their souls to the students of the DWMA."

The last bit of info gave Antheia a tingling shock in her chest. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, she knew that witches were becoming endangered due to the Grim Reaper creating more death scythes. Of course, it wasn't personal, but it still didn't change the fact that Mabaa was displeased by her kind getting wiped out just to create an ultimate weapon.

"I know that your grace," The pink haired woman said in a disappointing tone. "That's why I've kept myself hidden over the past years."

"I'm glad you still recalled my warning," The grand witch said with honor. "It's very dangerous for witches to be out at curfew when the students are on their hunting spree."

Anthiea nodded in agreement. "Yes, of course. That's why I moved to the farest area from Death City and build my house here. So I could be in safe condition, since it's nearly impossible to sense a witch soul from a long distance."

"Smart thinking," Mabaa said intrigued. "Not many witches have the capacity of moving from one location to another. You should consider yourself lucky Antheia."

"Don't worry ma'am," Antheia said holding a clenched fist to her chest. "I will create a potion that can shield a witch soul from being scanned by the soul projection technique."

"Your still working on it?" Mabba asked as she raised a brow.

It wasn't the first time Antheia been working on the potion. She been trying to create it since she was 16, no luck came since then, but she still hasn't given up over the past years.

"Yes I have," Anthiea said with conviction. "And I won't stop til it becomes a success, I'll spend eternity working on it if I have to."

The Grand Witch took her words to heart. This woman was truly dedicated to accomplished her goals, she wanted to do what was right for everyone, she cared deeply for others and always put them first before her. That's why she wanted to finish her potion so her kind would be freed from this haunt of witch souls. Especially Crona.

"Crona..." The young witch jolt her head up as the name popped into her head.

She just remembered Crona was a witch as well, meaning he could be a target too. She put her shaking hands on her mouth, just the thought of her poor baby being slaughtered by a student and his soul being devoured to create another Death Scythe made her spine shiver in horror. She began to bit her lip until she tasted blood, and almost shed a tear from grieve.

Mabaa notice Antheia's behavior and placed a hand on her lap. Though she was often firm with others, she still had a heart.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked.

Antheia came back to her senses when she heard Mabaa's voice, she was too lost in thought that she didn't even felt the hand on her upper thigh.

"O-Oh yes," Antheia stuttered. "I apologize, that was very rude of me ma'am."

The Nature Witch bowed her head in loyal respect, she never meant to do anything disgraceful towards the mistress of all witches. It was a very uncalled for action.

"No it's alright," Mabba stated. "There's no need to apologize."

Antheia chuckled lightly in embarrassment. But at the same time it was nice that Mabaa still had her motherly side. It's been so long since someone gave her affection, she hasn't felt this comforting feeling since she was a child.

"Antheia," Mabaa began to spoke in a more concern tone. "Is there something that's troubling you?."

Antheia knew that in order to answer that question, she would have to tell Mabaa what has happened the past couple of years. She had to informed her that she is now a mother. It wasn't gonna be easy, but the Grand Witch needed to know truth.

"Ms. Mabaa," Antheia said as she folded her hands and rest them on her lap. "There's been a lot of changes since we last met."

Mabaa raised a brow puzzled at what the young witch before her was trying to say.

"What I mean is that...well…" Antheia cleared her throat before she could continue. "Let's start from the beginning. I was off one night getting some essentials to make potions. However, I forgot to bring my cloak and realised there was a high chance that I might run into a student from the DWMA."

There was an utter silence over the living room with nothing to hear but the birds chirping from windows. Antheia knew that deep inside Mabaa had felt a spark of shock. Even though she didn't seem like it, her stall face was a only a facade.

Antheia look up to Mabaa to make sure she still listening.

"Go on." she said.

Antheia nodded and continued her story.

"So, I figured that I would have to find a place to hide. In the nick of time, I found an alleyway near by and hid behind a trash can hoping no child would find me there. However, someone came crossed the alleyway carrying a box. I took a slight peek to see who it could've been and hopefully not a student. Luckily it wasn't but rather another witch."

"Another witch?" Mabaa asked as she grew curiosity.

"Yes, it was none other than the snake witch Medusa Gorgon."

Mabba jolted as the name itself was deadly to hear. She knew who this person was.

"Medusa?!" she said with great fear. "You crossed paths with her?!"

"No it wasn't like that," Antheia said as she shook her hands. "She didn't saw me, I kept myself hidden so she was unaware of my presence."

Mabba placed a hand over her heart as if it was gonna jump out of her chest.

"Thank goodness," she said relieved. "Even though you were lucky, it was still very risky. You should know that woman is dangerous."

"Yes," Antheia nodded. "I know that, but that's not all."

"What do you mean?" asked the Grand Witch.

"Medusa left the box on the alleyway, out of my curiosity I went to see what it was. It turned out to be a newborn baby, I couldn't stand to leave him all alone so I took him in as my own. Now I'm his mother and I'm doing my best to take care of him."

"You mean your taking care of Medusa's child?" Mabba asked dumbfounded.

"It's not like that," Antheia confirmed. "She abandoned the child herself, and was gonna leave it to die. I couldn't just leave the poor thing on his own, otherwise he would've end up dead."

"I see," Mabaa said as she understood Antheia's words. "What's the child's name?"

"Crona"

"Crona," Mabaa repeated. "That sounds like a devine name."

"It is," Antheia agreed. "And he's very beautiful too. He has the cutest smile and pretty pink hair."

Mabaa could tell that Antheia has bonded with Crona. A child that's not even hers, and yet she cares deeply for him. The Grand Witch never would of thought it was possible for a witch to take great responsibility over a child. It was all new to her.

"I take it you've grown attached to this child, have you?" Mabaa stated.

"No it's not just that" Antheia shooked her. "Ever since I first met him, I felt a strong connection with him as if I was destined to be his mother. The moment I look into his eyes I knew that I had to protect him, not Medusa. Even though he may not of came from me, he didn't had to in order to be an actual part of me, cause our souls seem to be resonating in sync. At least that's what I feel with him."

"That must mean you grown a actual bond with Crona," Mabaa stated. "They say that when a parent gives eye contact to a baby at first glance they start building a connection, and it will continue to grow stronger as the child grows."

Antheia thought about Mabaa's statement for a minute. She took in every word she just spoke. A connection between a parent and a child grows stronger during the child's development. It was like a grown flower and a bud's strong connection helps the bud blossom into a beautiful flower. Her beloved Crona is one day gonna bloom into a delicate flower no doubt. It warmed her heart just imagining that.

"I guess that means I'm meant to be his mother after all." Antheia said with a warm smile. "I've given all the love and care he deserves, and I will continue to do so for the rest his life, so he'll never have to fear humanity, not while I'm there by his side."

"That's not possible," Mabaa said firmly.

Antheia felt as if her heart was stab deep with a sharp knife when she heard Mabaa say such harsh words.

"What do mean?" she asked in fear.

"I understand that you want to keep the child in safe hands Antheia," Mabaa said. "But you must understand that this world will not allow you to sustain that. There's gonna be a time where Crona will have to fend for himself when trouble strikes. What will he do if a kishin or witch comes for his soul and he can't defend himself?"

Antheia never thought about that. In fact, she was hoping she would never have to thought of that at all. She's aware of how dangerous the world is and wanted to prevent Crona from experiencing the horrors of it. But then again, even though she hated to admit it, it's true that Crona was gonna need to learn how to fight and defend.

She clenched her fists on her lap and grinded her teeth. She didn't wanna do this to him, but deep down her counscous was telling her that Mabaa was right.

"I knew that one day I was gonna be reminded of that," Antheia said with her voice cracked. "But at the same time, I was in denial of it. Hoping that it wouldn't come back to me again."

The young woman started to let stream of tears roll out her cheeks. She felt her hands trembling, as if they were cold from hyperthermia.

"I just wanted to keep my precious Crona safe,"

"Antheia," Mabaa spoke in grief from the site of her underling being broken. "I know it's hard, but if you truly love Crona you would showed him how to be independent for what's to come in the future. You can't just shunned him from the world that we live in. You need to give him guidance in life as a parent. He's gonna grow up one day and your not gonna always be there by his side. He needs to learn how to protect himself rather than having you do the protection."

Antheia took in her mistress' words for a moment. It's true, he's not gonna be little forever. On day he'll get older and he will eventually experience the world on his own. He will discovered these horrific creatures that feast on human souls and would have to strike against them. But he doesn't have a weapon. Maybe she could teach him how to use magic. Of course, every witch must learn how to manipulate their own magical powers.

If she could teach him the arts of witchcraft, then maybe he'll be fit for combat and self defense. It will would take a while but it will all pay off in the end. She lifted up her head so that she was looking at Mabaa right in the eyes again.

"Alright Ms. Mabaa," Antheia spoke with a tone of courage. "I will teach Crona how to defend himself by showing him the arts of magic. He will learn how to have great control of his powers. Even if he's not aware of his own abilities, I will show him how to properly use them. So if anything were to come to him, he'll know what to do."

Mabaa nodded with agreement and smiled a little. But then, something crucial popped into her head. The two witches were unaware of Crona's abilities. It was unclear what kind of magic he possessed. Medusa was known for inheriting dark magic, which can be very dangerous if the user doesn't manipulate it properly. This was something that Antheia needed to figure out while training the child.

"Antheia," The young witch look up at her mistress when she heard her said her name. "Do you might think it's possible for Crona to possess dark magic?"

That question struck Antheia once again like a lighting bolt. Of course she had to forget about the possibility of Crona having dark magic. She knew damn well that Medusa would always use her vector arrows to attack her foes with, which was a technique that came from the arts of dark magic. Not to say that dark magic is bad, it's the wielder themselves and how they use it. It's not like they always use it for negative intentions, however if not use accuracy it can lead to unexpected results. Dark magic can be very dangerous to handle if the user doesn't have the experience.

But Antheia remembered when she was little there that there was a book she read about dark magic. It was when she learn about the ancient sorcerers and witches that used to possesed the arts of Dark Magic. Some were evil while others were actually good, there were actually heroes that used dark magic to protect people rather than those who used it to cause utter chaos to the innocence. She never would've expected that there was once good - willed people who used the Dark Arts for the better.

Of course the reason why dark sorcery had a bad reputation was because nowaday it's been used to cause harm than to protect. Even those who inherited dark magic refuse to use their powers, afraid that others would think their associated with evil. But of course Crona would never crossed the path of evil, he's too pure to go through that route.

It's decided then.

"I may not know if he does possess dark magic," Antheia said with conviction in her voice. "However, regardless of his abilities I swore as a witch and as a mother that I will train my child the arts of witchcraft. If it will be for the greater good, for self defense, than I'll do it. For Crona's sake."

The Nature Witch placed her clenched fist on her chest as a sign of pride. From her posture Mabaa can tell that she meant every word she said. She never expected this from her underling. She really has grown hasn't she?

"A wise decision Antheia," the Grand Witch said with approval. "To think you would go through the process from a child prodigy to a confident mother."

Anthea took Mabaa's words to heart as a sense of 'I'm proud of you.' It meant a lot coming from the Grand Witch, it felt like earning a reward.

"Mama?"

A young voice came entering the living room. She turn to see who the voice belong to, it was none other than her sweet little Crona. She made contact with his small blue eyes that had innocence in them. She noticed that he had a fearsome expression on his face when he saw Mabaa and ran straight to her side holding on to her dress.

"It's alright baby," Antheia said in a soothing tone while stroking Crona's pink locks. "She won't hurt you."

Mabaa took a good look at the young child that was hiding behind Antheia. She could tell that he was Medusa's child just by the style of his hair. Other than that, the rest of his features were unique of his own. He was already attached to Antheia just from the way he held on to her as if she was gonna disappear. This was all new to her as she's never seen a mother and child bond before, and now it's right in front of her. She could tell Crona was scared of her based on her outlandish appearance. Of course it wouldn't be the first time someone showed fear upon her. She was used to humans fearing her, so it was nothing new.

"A-re you s-sure s-she's not g-gonna cast a s-spell on m-me?" Crona stuttered as tears began to stream down his face and rub his snot against his mother dress.

"Of course not," Antheia confirmed. "Mabaa's a good witch, she wouldn't harm anyone."

Despite his mother's convincing words, Crona still had trouble believing her. Not that he didn't trust his mother, but from the looks of Mabaa she looked too scary to be harmless. She remind him of the evil witches from the fairytale stories his mother would read to him before bed, the ones that would cast spells on people, turn them into toads or put them to sleep for eternity. Just looking at Mabaa gave him the impression that she was one of them.

"I-I don't k-know," the pink-haired child said shaking. "I c-can't trust h-her."

Antheia tried to convince Crona to give Mabaa a chance until the Grand Witch herself spoke up.

"It's alright Crona," she said. "I don't blame you for feeling that way of me. But just remember that not every witch you come across of is considered evil. Most of them are just misguided women who are taking the wrong path. They've been through a lot of hardship during their youths, which is why they're the dangerous beings you see now."

Crona couldn't get what Mabaa meant by her statement, and instead just tighten his grip on his mother's skirt while baring his face so he wouldn't have to see the scary witch. Mabaa could tell that the young child didn't understand a single word that came from her mouth. It didn't bother her the slightest, it's not like she would expect a child to understand the origin of witches.

"You'll understand when your older," she said with a smile.

Antheia bend down to Crona and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Sweetheart, why don't you go play in your room while me and Ms. Mabaa finish catching up ok?"

Crona nodded in response, Antheia kissed his forehead before he left the living room. She couldn't help but let a small giggle escape her mouth as she watched her child run off. It was so cute.

"Adorable, isn't he?" Antheia said to the Grand Witch.

"He sure is," Mabaa nodded her head in agreement.

She could tell that Antheia was doing a great job with raising Crona. Even though he wasn't so found of her presence, it was still good to know that the Nature Witch was informing him about the existence of evil witches. That way he is aware of the dangers of the evil ones. When the time comes he'll be ready to face off whatever threat comes at him. That is if Antheia starts training him soon.

A couple hours passed as Antheia and Mabaa continued to chat and had some laugh here and there, while having some tea that Antheia made with the herbs from her garden. Almost everything that she cooks came from nature she planted herself. Except for meats and dairy products of course, for those she'd go to the market.

The Elderly woman looked out the window to see that the sun was beginning to set. It was already sleeping with drool coming out of its mouth. It was a sign that her time here was done.

"It's was nice to have a little reunion with you dear," Mabaa said with a kind smile. "I'm glad that you've taken good care of yourself and the child."

"Same with you your grace," Antheia bowed her head in honored of her elder. "It was a pleasure having you here after so many years."

"Well now that I know you're in good shape I don't have that much to worry about," The Grand Witch stated, which made Anthiea feel even more honored than before.

"However," Mabaa tone imdeiatly changed from motherly to sincere, which caught Anthiea off guard. "I want you to keep in mind with what I said, whether you choose to take my advice or not is up to you. I will respect your decision either way, but at least considered putting more thought into your final choice. All I suggest is that you do what's best for Crona."

Antheia took a minute to take in what her elder just said before nodding.

The Grand Witch open the door before her as waved goodbye to her underling.

"Farewell," she said before leaving Antheia's vicinity in total silence.

It was at that point, the young witch was at a conflict situation. Part of her wanted to take Mabaa's words and teach Crona how to fend for himself, while the other part doesn't want to put her dear child into mortal danger by becoming a warrior. She already made up her mind that she was gonna teach him the arts of witchcraft, but when it came to learning how to fight was a whole other level. He didn't have a weapon so it's not like he can actually learn the methods of combat.

Then again he didn't need a destructive tool if he had magic on his side. Witches often use their magic to fight other than just a defense mechanism. Antheia remembered the times she had to use her magic to defend herself from despicable humans that tried to assault her. She hated using the power of nature as a destructive force. It just didn't felt right to her. The earth was meant to be loved not to destroy, which was why she avoided fighting as much as she could.

For Crona on the other hand it was different, his magic could be actually capable for fighting. Even if it's dark magic that he posses, he can still use it for the greater good. He just need to learn how to use it probably. Speaking of Crona, Antheia went to go went to go check on her little pumpkin. She went to his room that was opposite to hers and saw him asleep on his teatime table with his little stuffed bunny sitting opposed to him. Anthiea swooped up her sleeping child and gently placed him on his bed and pull the covers over him once it reach the tip of his hair.

She grab the napkin from the pink box on top of his black dresser, and wiped off the drool oozing from his mouth. Then she grab his bunny which he named Snowbelle, and placed it right next to him so he won't feel lonely. She kneed down on the edge of the bed and shifted his bangs to the side, she pressed her lips against his forehead.

"Sweet dreams my baby pumpkin," Antheia whispered in her soft motherly voice.

She turned on his little flower night light before turning off the lights in his room, knowing that he had a phobia for darkness and left.

It wasn't gonna easy. In fact it was gonna harder than she thought. She really didn't wanna do this her precious child, but she didn't wanna deny Mabaa's words either. Why did it had to come to this? But it was for the best. It was her job as a parent to do the right for her child. Sooner or later he's gonna find out what the world is really like out there. He'll learn that reality is not like his fairy tail books.

Starting tomorrow she'll begin his training. From this point onward, he'll be taught the mastery of witchcraft.


	5. Training

**For the moment you've been waiting for, Crona learning magic! He is a witch after all. And he'll also meet a new friend, I wonder who would that. Well, you'll just have to read to found out! Now on with the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Training**

 _A child struggled to wake up as her eyes were fluttering until her vision was clear. She felt her head pondering with pain, it was pumping like a heartbeat. The child tried to feel it, only for her hands to be halted by tight grips. She looked up to see what was holding them back, it appeared to be metal cuffs that hung her a few inches off the ground. The hard iron was hurting her wrists, and was tightening her veins, which made it difficult for the blood to travel through._

 _She wore nothing but a short sleeveless white dress that had dirt and wrinkles all over. Her body was covered in scratches and bruises as if she was beaten very badly. She scanned her surroundings to figure out where she was. The room was dark and musty, with cracks on the walls that would allow rats to enter, along with cobwebs that stick to the corners. Her bottom lip began to tremble as tears stream down her face. It was all coming together._

 _This was the torture room where prisoners receive severe punishment for breaking rules. She must've blackout from the harsh beating she got. But that wasn't all, she felt a burning sore from between her legs. Her eyes widen in realisation of its origin. She was raped. The painful memories came back, she remembered someone being forced on her and they kept doing unmentionable things to her that she didn't wanna think about, just the thought of it made her flinch in horror._

 _Her stomach rumbled begging for food, she couldn't remember the last time she ate. It must've been maybe four or five day? She lost count. Her body felt weak and feeble, and her throat was dry from the lack of water._

 _The door in front of her suddenly open, releasing warm light that brightens the dark room. Her delicate eyes squinted from the brightness that shined on her face. She opens them up a little to see who was there. Onced she got a better view of the figure before her, the expression on her face went into great terror. What appeared by the door was a man in a black cloak in a mask with a creepy teeth grin across the face. He was holding a long whip and tapping it on his other palm._

 _"It's time for another beating little wrench," he said with a malicious tone in his voice._

Antheia sprung up from her bed with cold sweat dripping from her forehead. Her hand was planted on her chest, she felt her heart thumping rapidly which made her clench it as if it was gonna pop out. She looks around to see where she was, to find herself back in her bedroom.

She let out a sign of relief to be out of that awful dream. It wasn't the first time she had it. Ever since she was little she's been haunted by the same nightmare over and over again. Her past kept creeping up on her as if it was a predator and she was its prey. She wish she use her own calming spells to cure her anxiety, but unfortunately her magic had no affect on her.

Which meant Antheia had to use old fashioned treatments such as taking pills, drinking hot tea, doing meditation, or reading a book. But her favorite method was having Crona by her side. Having 'mother and child' moments with him was the best treatment she could have. Her favorite activity would be taking him to the garden and watering flowers, or talking to them to help them grow. Hearing his cute giggles and seeing his warm smile was enough to lighten her day.

"Mama?" speaking of which, Antheia turn to her left to see her child holding his stuffed bunny and pink blanket. "D-Did you h-had a b-bad dweam?"

How did he know? Most of the time when she was having her night terrors, they would only occurred once or twice a month. But she made certain that Crona was in a soundproof room so he wouldn't hear a thing. She never wanted to interrupt his peaceful sleeping with loud bloody screams. But this time he seemed to notice them.

"Why you ask sweetheart?" she asked in her soft motherly voice.

"I-I woke up t-to use the b-bathroom and when I-I got out I h-heard you s-scweaming all the way d-own the h-hallway," the little pink haired child explained. "You s-sound like you were in p-pain."

Antheia's sapphire blue eyes widen from what she just heard. She did scared her poor baby. Feeling remorse for what she did, she got up from her bed and swoop up her little Crona. She placed his head softly on her shoulder for comfort and stroke his soft hair, assuring him that everything was alright.

Crona's nerves begin to melt away as he felt his mother's gentle fingers comb his hair with ease. Her scent was so nice, as if she was covered in flowers. The warmth of her fabric short sleeve was softer than any pillow. He wondered if it was another one of her calming spells. Why did she had such an amazing power to heal a person mentally? Why was she so good at it? Those questions scattered around his head like broken pieces of glass, but decided to ignore them for now. Instead he just relax while his mama was soothing him.

"I'm sorry for scaring you dear," she said in an apologetic voice. "Mama just had a bad dream as you could tell, but she's okay now so you don't need to worry anymore."

"Are you sure?" Crona asked no longer stuttering as he calmed down.

"Positive," Antheia said with conviction hoping Crona would buy it. Fortunately he did.

"Ok then..."

Crona let out a soft yawn on his mother's shoulder, his eyes were struggling to stay open. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand and slowly fell asleep in his mother's arms. Antheia walk towards the path heading to Crona's room but then stop at midway, she looks back at her room and then Crona's room. After the night terror she experience she wasn't sure about sleeping on her own without her little pumpkin by her side. Not that she was being an immature child or whatnot, but whenever Crona was near her presence she felt a better wavelength within. It felt calm and soothing like a kiss from the warm heavens. It was clear that there was something special about the child.

Antheia turned around and went back to her room, she gently placed Crona on her queen size bed without waking him up. She got into the covers and brought herself closer to her child's side, to where their faces were a few inches apart. She nuzzled his face softly as she rubbed her cheek against his.

"Even mama can't sleep alone when she has nightmares," Antheia whispered to her sleeping child.

Few minutes later she fell asleep too.

* * *

Crona was sitting firmly on the floor as he reached out his and open it widely. He focused all his energy from within as he felt sweat streaming down his face. He tried his hardest to let out a speck of magic, but nothing was coming out. What was he doing wrong? He followed his mother's method. First, you're body must be in a calm state. Second, you must focus all your energy at once. Third, you have to envision yourself having control of your magic. And he did exactly that but nothing happened.

He tried to do it again to see if he could get it right this time. He sat still on the floor with his legs crossed. Took a deep breath to relax his inner muscles. He focus all the energy within his body. He imagines himself possessing a dark purple-like substance on the palm of his hand, the thought of it was dark, gloomy, and frightening. It felt warm but burning like fire. Crona couldn't tolerate the scary image in his mind anymore, so he quickly open his eyes to see if he made any progress. He looked at his hand. Nothing. The young witch dropped his head in disappointment. He couldn't do it. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn't summon any magic.

"Don't give up Crona," a voice said. He turn around to see his mother standing right behind him. She must've saw everything that just happened.

The young woman went in front of him and sat down with her legs crossed just like her child.

"What am I doing wrong mama?" Crona asked. "I tried following your methods but every time I try nothing comes out of my hand. I can't summon any magic."

"Don't say that dear," Antheia said while placing her hand over Crona's. "It takes time to summon your magic. You just need to be in the right state of mind."

"But how?" Crona tilted his head in confusion. He still didn't buy what his mother was saying.

Antheia closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest so she could show Crona what she meant. "Magic is something that you not only possess, but are one with. It's not enough to just envision yourself manipulating magic, you have to let your soul resonate with your magic. All witches must be in sync with their mind and body in order to achieve their own magical abilities. "

The young woman demonstrated by reaching out her hand in a calm position. After a few seconds, a small grass field appeared on the palm of her hand with flowers blooming out the ground. There was a mini tree and wind that blew little flower petals in the air . Like she was holding a mini version of the earth.

Crona was in awe by what he was seeing before his very eyes. It seem as if it was spring in his mother's hand. He'd never seen anything like it. Is this what magic look like?

"You must be in sync with your magic in order to have control over it. This is an example of doing so." Antheia brought the hand filled earth closer to Crona till it was a few inches apart to get a better view.

Crona couldn't believe it. Not only did the earth that his mother summon was visibly beautiful, but it even smelled like nature itself. The scent was like a garden with dozens of flowers, and the wind smelled sweet. Was this his mother's own magic? Being able to summon nature at her own will? It was amazing! It made him want to do the same thing with his magic.

"You think you can try it?" Antheia asked while the earth in her hand disappeared.

Crona nodded. But in honestly he was nervous to try again. He wasn't so sure if he was even ready to summon his magic for the first time. What if he messes up? What if he ends up summoning a monster? What if he ends up hurting his mother? What if his powers turn out evil?! He didn't wanna be evil?! He felt his hands trembling again. He had too much in his mind to keep focus. He can't do-

He felt a pair of soft pink lips pressed against his forehead. All the negative thoughts in his mind were replaced with positive one. His nerves were melting away. His hands were no longer trembling. It was that spell his mother used on him yesterday after Ragnarok bullied him. It was 'Mother Nature's Kiss'

"Don't let the negativity get to you dear," Antheia said as she prompted Crona's head to her breasts. "Doubts and fears will only disrupt your confidence in succeeding. You mustn't let that overpower you."

His mother's kind words brought his spirits back up. Not only that but he herd positive thoughts floating through his mind. Thoughts he never knew would exist.

"You can do it Crona,"

"Your stronger than this,"

"You are a special person,"

"You have great power from within,"

"You'll have full control of your powers,"

"Keep trying and you'll succeed,"

All those thoughts swarming around his head made his toes tingling with joy, his confidence was starting to grow back. The negativity from before was slowly disappearing. A small smile grew across his round face. He completely forgotten what it was that made him so scared in the first place.

"Now," Antheia said clasping her hands. "Are you ready to try again?"

Crona hummed a 'yes' while nodding his small head.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath nice and slow. He emptied his mind to prevent any distraction accruing so he wouldn't lose focus. His hands were placed on his lap no longer trembling but instead much more calm. He started to imagine himself holding a spark of magic in his hand. It didn't burn him this time, but instead felt warm like he had a grasp of the sun. This feeling wasn't threatening but rather harmless as it didn't hurt him like the last time.

Crona felt some sort of wavelength resonating with his delicate soul. The feeling was intense but not to where he couldn't handle it. He felt hesitant to open his eyes as he was afraid to see nothing in his hand again. But at the same time he wanted to see if he made at least some sort of process. Crona slowly open his blue eyes again and look into his hand. There was a small black liquid flowing around his hand. It swirled like a small tornado, it looked like ink from a pen. It was thick and sticky like paint. But it smelled...like blood. Was he manipulating blood?!

Antheia could not believe her eyes! This type of magic wasn't what she had expected. At first she had the idea that Crona would possess dark magic, but it wasn't that at all. Instead he possess a different substance of magic. It was blood magic. Something that hasn't been used in centuries. Because of this, it became an extremely rare type of magic. No witch has ever used blood magic in a long time. This must've been part of Medusa's experiment. It's possible that she added black blood into Crona's system for him to use it as a defense mechanism. But why? What was Medusa's planning to do with Crona's blood? It didn't make any sense.

"M-Mama…" Crona stuttered. There was a sound of gulping in his voice, which was a sense that he was frightened. "Is this blood?!"

Antheia quickly assured Crona by placing her hands under his bloody hand. She could tell he was scared and confused. "No sweetheart," she said. "This is another type of magic. It's called 'Blood Magic'."

"B- Blood M-Magic?" Crona stuttered while scrunching up a small brow.

"It's an old ancient magic that witches once used a long time ago," Antheia explained. "They would use it to manipulate not just their blood, but others blood."

"But why would they do such a thing?" the little witch child asked.

In order to answer that question, Antheia needed to tell Crona the whole story of blood magic and it's origin. She closed his hand to make the blood that he summon disappear from site so he wouldn't feel the urge to panic. Then she put her hands onto to her lap.

"Long ago, witches used blood magic to help transfer blood to those in need of it. As such whenever someone was in need of blood, they'd used blood magic to summon natural blood and give it to those who lost their own. It was to prevent death from accruing so witches would earn the human's trust as they were not a threat to them," Antheia explained the story to her child. "However there was a witch who was after an innocent humans soul, and used blood magic to absorbed all his blood, killing him in the process and devoured his soul. This caused the humans to think rashly of us witches, since then it has never been used again."

Crona felt his stomach drop when heard about the witch who used blood magic to kill a human. It made him even more confused and scared.

"D-Does that m-mean," Crona began to stuttered in fear. "I'm g-gonna be l-like that w-witch and d-devour someone's s-soul?"

"No baby," Antheia said patting her child's shaking head. "You won't be like her. You're different, and nothing like those no good witches who harm innocent people. You just need to learn how to control your powers as all. It may take some time, but I'll make sure you learn how to use them properly without hurting anyone."

Crona felt a little bit better after hearing his mother's kind words of reassurance. But he still had doubts in his mind about his magic. It wasn't hard for Antheia to notice it. She knows Crona all too well that whenever he's shivering it's a sign that he had doubts despite her positive convictions. Damn that snake witch Medusa! It's her fault he's always feeling miserable. The black blood must be affecting his emotions. She needs to finish that potion sooner. Then an idea popped up in her head.

"Why don't we call it a day and make some cookies," Antheia suggested with a delight tone. "Will that make you feel better?"

Crona's expression immediately swift from gloomy to excitement as he jumped with his hands waving in the air.

"Yay cookies!" the young child cheered. Antheia couldn't fought the small giggle from her child's joy jump. It warmed her heart to see her child happy again.

* * *

Antheia bundled Crona in a brown cloak that was similar to hers but smaller. She put a hood over his head so no one would identify him. She knew that it was for the best even though Crona wouldn't be able to talk to kids his age and befriend them. But she had to do it for his own good. Since her and Crona were in need of ingredients to make some cookies they need to go to the store to buy some.

"Ok Crona," Antheia said as she leaned towards her child. "What's the first thing we do when we go outside?"

"We wear our cloak so no one can tell that we're witches,"

"Correct," Antheia nodded. "And what do we do when a human come towards us?"

"We ignore them and make no contact with them,"

"Correct," Antheia repeated. "And what is it that a witch must never do,"

"Use magic around humans,"

"That's right," Antheia patted Crona's head. "Good child."

It's good that Crona had the memory of an elephant for someone so young. She taught him everything he needs to know in case they ever had to go outside for anything.

"Alright then," Antheia took Crona's hand before twisting the knob of the door. "Let's go."

Antheia and Crona walked through the streets of Death City. The people didn't had any suspicion thanks to their cloaks. Despite her delicate features, Anthiea still kept her face hidden so no one will know her identity. She didn't wanna risk a human tracking her down and asking others for her whereabouts by describing her features. A witch must never reveal herself, knowing that she'll be in a paranoid situation. She had a good grip of Crona's hand so he wouldn't leave her side. Luckily the food market wasn't far, it was only a couple of blocks away.

It wasn't until a few minutes later they finally reached the market. They enter the store which luckily wasn't that crowded than the last time. Besides, they were getting a few ingredients to make a batch of cookies.

As usual, she had Crona get her a basket and carrying it around while she would pick the items they needed. She looked at the list of the things they needed:

Milk

Brown Sugar

Chocolate Chips

Butter

Vanilla Extract

Eggs

Good! Antheia checked off the last ingredient on her list and made her way towards the cashier to pay. Everything was going good so far. All that's left is to return home before the sunset, by then it will be close to nightfall. That's when all the students from the DWMA start hunting for witch souls.

"Thank you for your patronage ma'am," the cashier lady said. "We hope to see you again."

"Of course," Antheia nodded. "Same to you dear."

She waved goodbye to the cashier as she saw her give back a kind smile before leaving the store. It's true, some humans were nice. But that's because they are unaware of the fact that Antheia was a witch. Still, she wished didn't have to hide under the shadows just to be treated with respect from them. Same thing for Crona. He's told her numerous times that he hated wearing a cloak everytime they had to go out. The poor baby. She really didn't like to do this to him. But it was for his own good. She was doing this to protect him.

"Mama?"

Antheia felt Crona tugged on her hand, before looking down to him.

"What is it sweetie?" she asked.

"Look," Crona pointed at a flowery field next to the park where children were playing. "There's flowers, like the ones we plant in the garden. Can I smell them?"

"Sweetheart," Antheia bend over so she was face to face with her child. "It's nearly nightfall, it's dangerous for us to be out here. The Grim Reaper will send out his students to take our souls."

"I know," Crona said. "But can't I at least see the flowers in close up. I never get to see flowers outside of our house. Pretty please mama! Please!"

His begging was getting to her already. It was hard for her to resist those sad eyes. He was always stuck in the house while looking out the window of the outside world. He would watch human children play and laugh together as he felt left out. He longed to interact with others and make friends. The fact that he's never able to go outside made her feel guilty.

"Alright," Antheia said. "But only for a few minutes, then it's time to go home."

"Yay!" Crona cheered with his hands waving in the air.

Antheia sat on the bench and watched Crona admire the flowers and smell them. It was nice seeing him enjoying nature in the world for once. She never let's go outside him. The only time she lets him out is when they go out to the stores to get something that's it. Other than that, she doesn't allow him to go outside at all. The only place she let him go to was their garden. Since it was surrounded by a magic barrier that would prevent any human from detecting their souls.

She wanted him to enjoy the wonders of nature and how beautiful the earth was. The world was a beautiful place indeed, however Death City tend to be a bit off putting at night. Especially with the moon and it's bloody smile. It was probably for the best he didn't had much experience of the world. He might of been traumatized if he ever saw the moon. He easily gets scared of bizarre things.

Antheia laid her head back against the bench, only to feel her back on something else. Her heart skip a beat as she felt the presence of someone. To think this day was gonna be easy. She turn to her right to see who was sitting next to her.

It appeared to be a young man not too younger than 22, at least that's what she thought. He had red hair that was the length of his shoulders. He had a slender build which made him look questionably attractive. His eyes were sapphire blue similar to hers but was more darker. He wore a green long-sleeved shirt and long blue jeans with some brown shoes. He was giving her a smile as if he was happy to see her. A little too happy.

"Hey there beautiful,"

* * *

Crona was smelling all the beautiful flowers from the park. He was so happy he got to enjoy the world for the first time, even if it was only for a few minutes he didn't care as long as he got to experience the scent of flowers other than his mother's. Feeling the cold earth underneath his knees, smelling the aroma of a flower, and the cool breeze blowing through his pink hair as his locks waved in the air. He loved this feeling so much he didn't wanna leave at all knowing that his mother won't let him out again.

Crona then felt something hit his right leg. He looked down to see a red ball on his side. Where did it come from? Just before he was about to scan the area to see where the ball came, someone came running to his side. It was a little girl of his age with blond hair that was tied in pigtails by pink ribbons. She wore a pink dress over a white long-sleeved shirt. Her eyes were forest green with no pupils.

"Hello" she said.

Crona got up and took a step back while holding his hood tightly so it wouldn't slip off. He was already scared that a human was in his position.

The girl tilt her head in confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Why are you weawing that hoodie ovew your head? It's not waining."

She walked up closer to him to remove the hood from his face to see who he was, but every time she got near to him, he'd took a step back. "No! Don't come near me! Stay back!"

He yelled at her. The tone in his voice gave her a chill down her spine. Crona could tell he startled her. Now she'll think he's mean.

"S-Sorry," he stuttered. "I-I d-didnt mean t-to s-scare you."

His voice was more apologetic now. The girl took notice of it and gave him a kind smile in return.

"It's ok," she said. "I shouldn't of twied to touch your hood without pewmission. It was vewy wude of me."

This girl seem nice but she wouldn't be like this if she found out he was a witch. She'd probably runaway from him and call him a monster. How could he expect a human like her to befriended a witch like him? Humans despite witches. This girl might grow up to become a witch hunter and she might take his soul in the future. Just the thought about it made him want to get away from her.

"My name's Maka," the girl introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"C-Crona…" Crona replied.

"Cwona," Maka repeated the name as if she's never heard of it before. "That a pwetty name!"

Crona's eyes lite up underneath his hood. This girl just complimented his name. She said it was pretty. It was the first time someone other than his mother said something nice to him. A non-witch. A human. Why? Why is she so nice? Why is this human so nice?

"R-Really?" he asked. "Y-you think m-my name is p-pretty?"

"Of couwse," she said happily. "It's very pwetty. I've never heard of any name like it. Your lucky to have such a pwetty name Cwona."

There she goes again with her kind words. How is she able to come up with such kind words? It's crazy! Does she have powers too?! Can she read his mind?! Crona was scared and confused, he was having one of his emotional breakdowns again. He wanted to go home and be comforted by his mama.

Then he felt a hand being held by another. It was warm and smooth, even sootheter than his mother's. He scooted his hood aside to get a better view. The hand belong to Maka. He felt nervous as his hands began to shake a bit. A human was holding her hand. But she wasn't squeezing it, or trying to twist it like he thought she would. She was just holding it gently.

"Do you wanna be my friend Cwona?"

Friend? Did she just ask him to be his friend? She wants to be his friend?

* * *

Antheia sat there froze at the bench. There was a man sitting right next to her, and to make matters worse he had his arm wrap around her. Even the physical contact of a human made her terrified. Her hands were trembling in fear. She didn't know what to do. The only thing she had in mind was to get up, grab Crona and run off home. But it would be rude to do that to a kind human.

"Are you okay?" the red-haired man asked.

No response. She didn't know what to say to him. Anthiea was afraid she might say something that will blow her cover. Hopefully, he doesn't have the ability to see through people's souls. But, then again. Why would he? She was an awfully attractive young woman. There's no way he would be suspicion of someone who is utterly beautiful as her.

"Your a shy one aren't cha?" he asked but Antheia remain silent. "I like that in a woman."

The man scoot closer to her until he was only a few inches apart from her. Her heartbeat was increasing. The pressure was kicking in. Her face lite into a shade of light pink. Thank Lord Death her face was hidden underneath the hood so that the man wouldn't have to see it.

"Sorry," Antheia apologized. "I'm not used to being around other people."

"Hey no worries," he said. "You don't have to apologize."

"I just didn't want you to think I was being rude as all," Antheia explained.

"Not at all," the man replied. "Everyone gets nervous once in a while. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

This man actually understood her. He knows she was being nervous with him. Yet, instead of being weirded out or getting a misunderstood thought that she was crazy, he knew she was just feeling timid. No human has ever been that way with her.

"So," he began. "What is a beautiful woman like you doing here?"

"Oh I'm here watching my child enjoy the flowers'" The pink haired witch replied. "He loves the scent of nature."

"I see," the man nodded. "So your a parent too?"

Too? Does that mean he has a child as well? Was he a single parent like her? There's no way someone as good looking as him would be single.

"Are you saying your in care of child?" she asked the red-haired man.

"Yeah," he replied. "I have a daughter named Maka. She's just the cutest thing ever!"

The man spaced out as his blue eyes sparkled in adoration. Antheia felt a bit off putting by the man's creepiness, but then shook it off as its just a sign that he loves his daughter with all his heart.

"I see you really care for her." Anthiea stated.

"Yes," the man nodded "More than anything in this world."

"I know the feeling," Anthiea said as she watched her child by the flower field. He was chatting with a little girl in a pink dress. She guessed that was the man's daughter.

"Oh, by the way," the man began to ask. "I didn't get your name."

"It's Antheia," Antheia she replied. It wasn't a problem for the man to know her name since the citizens in Death City barely even knew her. "And you are?"

"Spirit," the man said. "Spirit Albarn."

Before Anthiea continue talking she notice that the sun was ready to set as it was sleeping with drool coming out of its mouth.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Spirit," she said as she got up from the bench. "But I'm afraid I have to go now. It's getting awfully late."

The young woman felt a grasp on her wrist preventing her from going any further. She turn to see that it was Spirit who was holding on to her.

"What's the rush?" He asked. "We were just about to get to know each other. Maybe we could go out to dinner sometime?"

The red haired man was getting a little too close to her. He was leaning closer so that their faces were only inches away from each other. Was he trying to kiss her?! No! It's forbidden! A witch must never be intimate with a human! Before his lips could make contact with her, she quickly yanked free from his grasp which led the man dumbfounded.

"I'm t-terribly s-sorry," Antheia said with remorse. Maybe she went a little too far. "But I really have to go. Maybe some other time."

With that, Antheia ran to the flower field to get her child while Spirit reach out to her.

"Wait!" He shouted.

* * *

Antheia ignored the man from behind and made her way towards the field where her child was.

"Well Cwona," Maka tilted her head waiting for an answer. "Do you wanna be fwiends?"

"I-I...w-well-" before Crona could finish he heard a familiar voice calling to him.

"Crona!"

"Mama?" Crona turned to see his mother running towards him.

"It's getting late dear," the pink-haired woman said to her child. "We have to go now."

"But mama-" Crona said before his mother cut him off.

"No buts!" Anthiea scold. "We can come back another time. Right now we have to go."

Crona picked up a pink flower from the field and showed it to his mother. "Can I at least take this flower home?"

Anthiea knew that he wanted to take the flower as a memento from the world.

"Of course you can sweetie,"

Anthiea turn to notice the little girl in pigtails. She must be Maka.

"Say goodbye to Maka, Crona." Antheia said as she grabbed Crona's hand.

"Goodbye, Maka." Crona said as he waved goodbye to the pigtail girl.

"Goodbye Crona," Maka said with tears filling her emerald eyes. "I hope we get to see each other again someday."

With that Antheia took Crona with her and left the park. Leaving the little girl by herself disappointed.

Spirit came over to Maka's side and swoop her up in his arms.

"C'mon Maka," he said. "It's time for us to be getting home too. Mama's waiting."

"Okay Papa," the little pigtail girl replied as they left the park.

Though she wished she got to know Crona more. He didn't even answer her question on whether or not he wanted to be friends. Why was he hesitant to be friends? Did he not like her? Was he too afraid? But why? Maybe he was just shy.

She wanted to see him again.

* * *

 **A/N: I did my best not to make this chapter too long but I guess it ended up being so. I'm sorry for not updating sooner like I promised, I had to make some editing changes. I was gonna add a scene where Anthiea and Crona make cookies but I figured that would make the chapter too long than it already is. And for those of you who would like to see Anthiea paired with Stein, I'm sorry to say this but I'm not doing it. The reason why is because I don't usually ship characters with someone else when they're already in a canon relationship. Plus I like Stein and Marie's relationship a lot since the two of them have a good bound. But Stein will have a connection with Antheia as her backstory involves him.**


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